1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in a manually operable ignition means for a pyrophoric lighter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.K. Pat. No. 1,397,326 discloses a lighter having a star-shaped ratchet wheel 5 and a pawl 11 that moves between an inoperative position to an operative position. The pawl 11 overrides the succeeding star point on ratchet wheel 5 upon its return movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,290 to Retzler discloses an activating member 4, an intermediate member 5, and a plastic yoke 36 which acts like a parallelogram linkage.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,637 to Norman et al. discloses a fingerpiece 23 connected to a carrier 22 by a molded plastic hinge 24.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,447 to Dessoy discloses a plastic operating lever.
In summary, the above four prior art patents disclose separately the following structural elements associated with an activating means: (1) a star-shaped ratchet and drive pawl, (2) a parallelogram-type linkage, (3) a plastic hinge, and (4) a plastic operating lever. However, they do not teach the structural combination or the mode of operation disclosed in the present application.
This invention relates to smokers' and like pyrophoric lighters of the type having a so-called flint from which a manually operated abrasive wheel strikes sparks to ignite fuel which, in modern lighters, is a gas, such as butane, which issues from a liquid reservoir through a burner opened by or on completion of the spark wheel operation.
In simple kinds of such lighters the spark wheel is operated by the user's thumb bearing on the wheel, or on side-flanges thereof, and then coming to rest on a burner-valve operating lever.
More elaborate lighters have a spring-loaded lever, for operation by the user's thumb or forefinger, to turn the spark wheel, usually through some form of pawl and ratchet mechanism, and encounter a burner-valve lever towards the end of the operating lever stroke.
Lighters which are operated by one manual lever, as compared with sequential manual operation of the spark wheel and then of a burner-valve lever, are known as automatic lighters and the objects of the invention are to facilitate the manufacture and assembly of operating mechanism for an automatic lighter and to improve ease of operation of the lighter.